After years of campaigning and lobbying, professional mixed-martial-arts appears to be finally headed to New York State.

Today, the the state’s assembly passed a bill that calls for the sanctioning of pro MMA in the jurisdiction.… Read More

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By FCF Staff

After years of campaigning and lobbying, professional mixed-martial-arts appears to be finally headed to New York State.

Today, the the state’s assembly passed a bill that calls for the sanctioning of pro MMA in the jurisdiction. According to multiple reports, the bill passed by a 113 to 25 voting margin.

Up next, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, who has expressed support for the sport, will need to sign off on the bill. Once that happens, the New York athletic commission will have 120 days to adopt and enact regulations for professional, MMA fights.

In a follow up statement from the UFC, the promotion’s Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein was quoted saying:

“New York is a great market for us,” Epstein said. “We know that because we know the number of Pay-Per-Views that we do in the state. We know the television ratings that we garner from fans in the state, and New York has two distinct markets that are both really important to the UFC. One of course is New York City, which has Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center. It’s an international city, the most important media market globally, obviously a trend setter globally, and that’s important for us because we’re going to be able to do big and important events in New York City.”

Bellator also released a statement regarding the news, and President Scott Coker relayed:

“The New York Assembly’s vote to legalize MMA is a watershed moment for this incredible sport. As someone who has been promoting combat sports for more than 30 years, this is a very exciting time for mixed martial arts. We at Bellator MMA are very much looking forward to hosting an event in the ‘Crown Jewel of America,’ New York. Two Bellator champions, Liam McGeary and Marcos Galvao call New York home and I know it means a great deal to the both of them, as it does for the entire promotion. We’ve already been in contact with the great people at the Barclays Center and several other incredible venues, and we can’t wait bring our world-class athletes and action-packed shows to an arena in the Empire State soon.”

For the fifth year in a row, the New York State Senate have voted in favor of legalizing professional MMA; however, it remains to be seen if the sport will finally get sanctioned.

According to a report from Newsday, the Senate voted to pass Bill No. S6502 by a 44-16 margin, which would legalize pro MMA in the state. Now the bill will be sent to the State Assembly, where the movement to sanction the sport has ground to a halt in recent years.

Professional MMA has been banned in New York since 1997, however, amateur bouts can and are held in the region. New York is the last state where pro MMA is currently banned.

The legislative session for the State Assembly reportedly comes to an end on June 19th.

A Federal District Court has reportedly ruled that the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and additional plaintiffs, can continue their legal battle to have mixed-martial-arts sanctioned in New York State.

A Federal District Court has reportedly ruled that the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and additional plaintiffs, can continue their legal battle to have mixed-martial-arts sanctioned in New York State.

According to a press release sent out by the ZUFFA owned property, the court ruled on Tuesday “that their challenge to the constitutionality of New York’s ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) can go forward. The court recognized that the State Athletic Commission and the Attorney General have repeatedly changed position on whether amateur and professional MMA can occur lawfully in the state of New York, which plaintiffs argue renders the ban unconstitutionally vague. While other claims in the lawsuit were dismissed, the UFC and plaintiffs are prepared to win their case and defeat the ban with the court’s green light on the vagueness challenge.”

Of the 48 states with athletic commissions, New York is the only jurisdiction which does not sanction professional MMA. The lawsuit was originally launched in 2001.

Some of the other plaintiffs tied to the case include fighters like Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar, Matt Hamill, and Brian Stann.

As expected would be the case, the effort to sanction professional mixed-martial-arts in the state of New York has failed for the fourth year in a row.

According to a report from the New York Daily News, after a prolonged and “contentious” debate, the Democrat Party has decided that it will not pursue a bill to legalize MMA this year. If the Democrats had decided to bring the bill to the floor, it likely would have needed the support of residing Republicans to pass.

The legislative session for 2013 reportedly ends this week.

While the decision is the latest setback in the drive to sanction MMA in New York, the cause is gaining momentum in the state. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reportedly told the Daily News that support to legalize MMA is growing in the Democratic Conference.

New York and Connecticut are the only states in the U.S. that currently do not sanction pro MMA, although Connecticut legislators recently passed a bill to legalize the sport.